Suspected Bombers Arrested In Southern RP

NORTH COTABATO (Mindanao Examiner / 03 May) – Filipino security forces arrested two suspected bombers in a raid early Thursday on their hideout in the restive province of North Cotabato, south of Manila.

A regional army spokesman said the two men were believed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is fighting for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

“Whether they are MILF rebels or not, we don’t care. They are local terrorists,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the 6th Infantry Division.

He said intelligence agents, backed by soldiers and policemen, raided the hideout in the village of Malingao in Midsayap town and arrested the two men – Thaos Alimpain and Nasser Mindu.

“The raiders seized 105mm howitzer ammunition, a rifle and a handgun, including three units of two-way radios and a wireless microphone. Soldiers also recovered from the hideout two cellular phones, bomb components and documents on how to assemble homemade explosives and batteries,” Ando told the independent regional weekly, the Mindanao Examiner.

The MILF denied it was involved in terrorism. It said it would coordinate closely with the authorities to help police and military investigate the two suspects.

“We are also investigating this report. If the two men are really involved in terrorism then they should be punished severely. We do not harbor terrorists or criminals,” a rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said in a separate interview.

The MILF is currently negotiating peace with the Arroyo government and has been helping fight homegrown terrorism. But despite the peace talks, sporadic clashes continue between rebel and military forces with both sides accusing each other of violating a six-year old truce.

In March, rebels and soldiers clashed in Midsayap town, leaving 19 people dead in the battle that forced tens of thousands of civilians fleeing their homes. (With reports from Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

Photo: Suspected Mindanao Bombers

Police released photos of three men linked to October bombings in the southern Philippines. The trio,along with over 40 other prisoners, escaped from the North Cotabato provincial jail after gunmen stormed the facility before dawn Friday, 02 Feb 2007. Security forces mounted a massive manhunt to recapture the prisoners, described as dangerous. Provincial officials offered P20,000 reward for each of prisoners captured dead or alive. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)